Silver and Gold
by Mamono
Summary: It's Christmas time once again and Ryou has the interesting task of guiding the ancient tomb robber, Bakura, through this joyful time of year. Though his task may prove to be quite difficult because ancient habits die hard. How will things turn out?
1. Part 1: What is Christmas?

Mamono: Hey! I'm here with a cool little story for Christmas!

  
Seto: _Where _am I?

Mamono: Oh Seto, I'll write a one-shot for you later! Right now the spotlight is on Ryou and Bakura!  
  
Seto: -_-U  
  
Mamono: Okay some things you need to know:  
  
Ryou is the good Bakura

Bakura is Yami Bakura

This story will have three parts, one part per week till Christmas week!

This is not, I repeat is not a Yaoi! I don't like reading or writing that, so don't worry!

This takes place after Battle city and Noah's Virtual world, and Ryou and Bakura have separate bodies.

I don't own Yugioh, but I own this story! So enjoy!

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~Silver and Gold~

Part One: What is Christmas?

Beautiful white blossoms of snow drifted down from the sky over the city of Domino. The city streets were bustling with eager shoppers that afternoon, and among them was a certain teen; his hair matching the color of the snowflakes that swirled around in the crisp December air. A cheerful smile was planted onto his face and a few shopping bags hung loosely from his hands as he trotted merrily down the street. His hot chocolate eyes would reflect in the crystal windowpanes of the many small main street shops strung along the city. He gazed at the many different items at each store; beautiful jewelry, delicious candies, and other trinkets filled the window displays, each having their own unique charm.

"These look wonderful! Don't you think so, Yami?" the teen cheered, pointing to a box of creamy chocolates.

"Ryou, what do you see in these things?" Bakura grumbled, shoving his hands into his black trench coat in attempts to keep warm.

"Oh, Yami, come one! Haven't you ever had chocolate?" Ryou chuckled.

"No. What's wrong with that?" Bakura replied dryly.

Ryou turned over to his yami; a look of pure shock was aimed straight at Bakura; but it was soon replaced with a look of pity. Ryou bit his fingernail and shook his head from side to side, his white locks swishing across his face.

"Tsk, Tsk, Yami. Well, I guess you'll have to try it then!" Ryou stated, beaming up at his yami.

Bakura looked over to the chocolates in the display window; they were so cheerful looking with their smooth creamy outside all decked out in that shiny golden box with crimson ribbons flowing all over the place.

"It's no wonder Ryou likes these," Bakura mumbled.

"Come on then!" Ryou giggled.

Bakura watched as the tips of his hikari's leather jacket vanished through the glass door of the store as the white-haired teen rushed into the shop. Bakura didn't move; he watched as Ryou waved to him through the store window, beckoning him to come inside.

"Over my rotting corpse," Bakura snickered, knowing that his hikari couldn't hear him.

"He'll never change," Ryou sighed.

Ryou shrugged and walked up to the counter; two cheerful teenage girls were working the counter that afternoon. He walked up to them and smiled very merrily at them.

"Good afternoon! It's a fine day, don't you agree?" he greeted.

"Oh yes, it is, isn't it?" a girl replied, her light brown hair fell across her face as she nodded.

"Yeah, the perfect day for chocolates!" the other girl stated, her golden-brown eyes gazing down at the chocolates shining below her in a large glass display case.

"Every day is a good day for chocolates in your eyes," the other girl snickered. 

"Just because I like chocolate..." the golden eyed girl started, but paused when she noticed Ryou staring oddly at her.

"What would you like?" she said embarrassedly. 

Ryou grinned and gazed down to the chocolates below him. All the chocolate looked delicious, Ryou couldn't even begin to choose what to buy. He rested his chin on his closed fist, pondering his decision.

"The fudge is good," the light brown haired girl suggested pointing to a row of thick chocolate with roasted nuts scattered across the top.

"Yes, it does. I'll take some of that," Ryou said, smiling up at the two girls.

* * * 

Dark chocolate eyes glared through the window at Ryou. The icy winter wind whipped across Bakura's face, making him shiver.

"What is taking Ryou so long?" he asked in an irritated tone.

Bakura watched as Ryou continued to chat with the two girls at the cash register. The frozen yami shrugged and sulked into the store.

* * * 

Ryou perked up when he saw his yami enter the store; he flashed a merry grin towards his darker half. Bakura only grunted and walked over to Ryou. 

"You are taking too long," Bakura complained.

"Don't be a wet blanket, Yami," Ryou sighed and then pointed to the chocolates before them. "Do you want some?"

Bakura quickly glanced over to the counter and glared at the assortment of chocolates. They were so happy looking. Bakura wasn't too appealed with the idea of actually eating any of those things. His lips thinned and he looked over to his lighter half.

"Go on, pick one," Ryou chuckled.

Bakura grumbled, he glared at the chocolates once more, examining each different kind; it looked more like he was going to pick a fight with one of them.

__

'Well, it's apparent that I will not be able to leave unless I choose something....' Bakura deducted silently.

"What are those?" he questioned, pointing to a tray closest to him.

"Those? Those are called chocolate turtles! They are really good!" the golden eyed girl pointed out while tucking her shoulder length brunette hair behind her ear.

__

'Turtles?' Bakura pondered.

"Ryou, what do they mean by turtles?" he questioned.

"Oh," Ryou snickered. "They are just what they sound like, Yami. Did you want to get some of those?"

Bakura thought about this; real turtles covered in chocolate? What a brilliant idea! A sly grin wiped across his face and he nodded, rubbing his hands together eagerly.

"All right, some of those too," Ryou said to the two cashiers.

The sandy haired girl scooped some of the chocolate turtles into an emerald-green bag and tied a golden ribbon around the top before handing them to Bakura. The yami snatched the bag from her hands and clutched the chocolates defensively.

"Ha, I guess you like chocolate," the light brown haired girl stammered, her dark brown eyes avoiding the chocolate crazed yami. 

"Thank you very much! Merry Christmas!" the golden eyed girl chirped, taking the money she had received and placing it in the cash register; a playful ring sounded as Ryou walked out of the story with his yami.

* * *

"Ryou, what's this Christmas that girl was talking about?" Bakura inquired. 

"Eh? Haven't I explained Christmas to you before?" Ryou replied with a puzzled look on his face.

"No, you haven't. Explain." Bakura urged.

"Well, okay, it's like a day where you visit your family and have a big dinner. Oh and Santa Claus comes and brings presents for everyone," Ryou explained.

"Santa Claus?" 

"Yes, he's a jolly old fellow; he wears red and his quite chubby; he has reindeer that pull his slay on Christmas Eve and brings presents to people in the night," Ryou replied.

"How does he get the presents into the houses?" Bakura asked, genuinely confused by the topic.

"Oh, he comes down the chimney and drops them at the bottom of the tree."

"Ryou, that's absurd. If this Claus is as fat as you claim, how can he fit through a chimney?"

"Well, I don't know, but he manages," Ryou chuckled. 

"What if someone doesn't have a chimney?" Bakura questioned, getting frustrated. 

"Yami, please, it's magic," Ryou laughed at his yami's frustration.

"This Santa Claus possesses shadow magic?"

"Yami!" Ryou sighed. There was no convincing Bakura. "Yes, Yami, he does..."

A wicked smile wiped onto Bakura's face; he began to cackle quietly, causing Ryou to distance himself from his yami.

"I'd like to challenge this Santa Claus to a duel sometime..."

An icy wind brought an eerie silence along with it. The sun had now begun to set; the long evening shadows danced across the white snow. The two teens walked slowly in silence before Bakura finally spoke up.

"Ryou, you said Christmas is a time where you meet with your family, did you not?"

"Yes, what about it?" Ryou replied.

"Well, what about your father?" Bakura said in an unusually soft tone.

Ryou swallowed hard; he hadn't seen his father for quite some time now. His father was an archeologist, so he traveled around a lot. In fact on one of his trips he had discovered the Millennium Ring that brought Ryou and Bakura together. Of course it had been along time since then and his father rarely even contacted Ryou now. The white haired teen cast his eyes to the floor; tears threatened to escape his chocolate eyes, but Ryou managed to stop them.

"I...I don't think he'll be here..." he sighed.

Bakura instantly regretted asking about Ryou's father; of course he knew everything about Ryou and his relationship with his father, but he never seemed to pay attention his hikari's personal matters. Bakura opened his mouth to say something, but was stopped when his lighter half dashed forward.

"Yami, look!" Ryou shouted, pointing to something ahead of him.

Bakura looked up; his eyes were met with a large pine tree placed in the center of the square. Gold ribbons were flowing down it like water; shiny white lights glittered all along it like the stars; silver bulbs were placed at different levels, each glittering magically; and the most spectacular was the large golden star glowing majestically on top of the tree. Bakura gaped at the splendor of the tree; it wasn't like anything he'd ever seen, but at the same time it seemed so familiar.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Ryou sighed.

Bakura nodded, still gazing at the spectacle. Ryou walked back next to his yami and they stared at the tree; not speaking, just taking in its splendor. The snow had intensified, each tiny flake catching the light of the tree, making it all the more beautiful.

"I think the Christmas tree is my favorite part of Christmas," Ryou chuckled, turning to Bakura.

"We haven't even gotten our own tree yet," the hikari added.

Bakura just continued to look at the tree; the silver and gold transfixing the tomb robbers senses. Ryou chuckled at his yami and began towards their home. He paused and turned toward Bakura; he waved to his darker half, his bag of chocolates swinging around in his hands.

"Yami, come on, we should get back!" Ryou called.

Bakura started towards his light, finally tearing his eyes away from the Christmas tree; the vision forever planted into his mind. Bakura paused and twisted around, gazing at the tree one last time before catching up with Ryou.

'Maybe this Christmas thing isn't that bad?' he thought to himself.

The light and dark continued on their way home with the snow falling on their backs; thoughts of Christmas filled their minds as the said holiday drew nearer. 

* * *

Mamono: How was it? I liked it!  
  
Seto: Yeah it was okay....

Mamono: Really? Okay please review and part 2 comes out sometime next week! Ryou and Bakura are going to find a Christmas tree and maybe some caroling! Also Ryou explains a bit more about Santa!  
  
Seto: So if read and review to get part to come out faster!


	2. Part 2: Tis the Season?

Mamono:^.^U Forgive me! I took way too long to post this!! Sorry!!!  
  
Seto: She's been *busy*...

Mamono: Not funny....anyway thanks everyone for the reviews! Hopefully this extra long chapter makes up for the delay! Okay review response time!!  


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DarkShadowFlame: ^_~ I knew you'd like this story! Thanks so much for reviewing! It makes me happy!(That sounds so egotistical...) Anyway yes, more Bakura madness today, and Bakura confronts the candy sellers about the turtles!! ^_~ It's gonna be great!

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Camille: Thanks for the review! I hope you like Bakura's *reaction* I thought it was funny!!! 

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Kelly: Yay! I'm glad I this story got you into the Christmas spirit! I hope this chapter is as good as the last! Thank you so much for the kind words! ^___^ I'm so happy! Hazzah!!

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Aura Black Chan: ^_~ Don't worry, Ryou won't be sad on Christmas! I don't have the heart to do that to him! But I'm glad you liked this! You're probably wondering why I'm not doing one about Seto, right? Well dont' worry, he'll make an appearance soon! MWUAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!

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Flower Petals: *squeals* Your really think this is the best Ryou&Bakura Christmas fic?*does a happy dance* Thank you so much! I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint you! It's really cool that you like my writing style! Oh I feel so happy! Thank you!

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Zorra Lombardi: *mesmerized by the lights* Huh? Oh! ^__^ I know, Christmas trees rock! Oh the Santa w/shadow magic part was my favorite too! Don't think that that's the last you'll see of it though! Thank you so much for reviewing!!

Okay so without further adieu....Part 2!!!

Seto: She doesn't own Yugioh......

Mamono: Shh! Don't tell!

**__**

~Silver and Gold~

Part 2: Tis the Season? 

The sun rose that morning to a snow covered Domino; the white powder had piled up since the previous night. The ashen eyes of Bakura glared through the frozen windowpane at the crystal powder that drifted across the yard; a low growl resonated softly in his throat.

"Ryou, there's more of that white stuff on the ground," he nagged. 

The white haired boy walked up to his yami and peered out of the window. He chuckled, smiling at the wonderland outside.

"Yami, it's called snow, and I happen to like it," Ryou informed.

"Snow? I don't like it," Bakura declared.

"Well, that's too bad," Ryou snickered. "You're going to see a lot of it from now on..."

Ryou walked over to the front door and grabbed his brown leather coat. He pulled the long leather sleeve across his arms and pulled the golden zipper all the way up; then he grabbed two black gloves from off the table and slipped them over his fingers; finally he took a light blue scarf and wrapped it around his neck carefully, the soft cotton fabric snuggled cozily against Ryou's face. Then he turned to Bakura and waited expectantly for his yami to follow suit.

"What?" Bakura asked.

"Come on, we have to get the tree," Ryou replied.

Bakura stared at his hikari; Ryou actually wanted to go outside? He just glared at his lighter half and stood firm in his spot near the window. 

"I'm not going out there," Bakura affirmed, pointing out the window at the snow-covered city. 

Ryou just continued smiling cheerfully. The stubborn yami gaped when his hikari's eyes became blank and eerie. He stepped back, clutching onto the window pane behind him.

"Yami," Ryou said dangerously; not matching his face's cheerful appearance. "You're coming with me to get the Christmas tree..."

Bakura gulped; his hikari was scary. Groaning, he sulked over to the door and grabbed his trench coat off the coat rack and disdainfully put it on. Ryou handed him a pair of slick leather gloves, which he grumpily took and placed them over his hands; the pouting yami glared at his hikari, signaling that he was ready to go.

"Okay, I'm glad you decided to come," Ryou said with a smirk on his face. "This should be fun!"

__

'Fun as being bitten by a cobra, I'm sure,' Bakura grumbled. 

*******

A few sparse snowflakes drifted among the morning sky, but otherwise it was a nice day; the snow crunched beneath Ryou's feet as he walked into the tree farm, Bakura sulking behind him. As they entered, the thick smell of pine filled their senses. The cinder-like eyes of Bakura gazed at the trees wearily.

"There is something amiss in these trees," he whispered.

"Yami," Ryou turned around, noticing his darker half's weariness. "Relax, they're only Christmas trees."

Bakura looked away from his hikari, his white hair whipped across his face, covering the scowl on his lips.

"Come on, Yami," Ryou chuckled. "We're almost there."

Ryou turned back around and continued trudging through the snow covered pathway with Bakura following behind. The two continued and soon they came upon a wooden stand; the boards that made it up were worn and the shack looked as if it might fall over in the next gust of wind.

"I take it this is our destination?" Bakura questioned.

"Well, it would seem to be..." Ryou said unsure.

Bakura walked up to the stand and a woman with shimmering red hair came to the counter. Her blue eyes gazed down at Bakura cheerfully; she smiled and spoke to the white haired yami before her.

"So, I take it you want a Christmas tree?"

"Yes, where can I acquire such a thing?" Bakura asked.

"Well you can _acquire _one anywhere on the farm, but there are some rules," the woman replied.

"Rules?"  
  
"Yes, you can only cut down the one's without the yellow tags on them, and you'll have to get an axe and sleigh to carry your tree on,"

"An axe?" Bakura inquired; he was starting to like this little setup.

"Yeah that's right, also don't cut down a tree that won't fit in your home, you don't want to have to kill an innocent tree, do you?"

"Yes,"

"What?!" the woman roared.

Ryou then stepped in front of his yami; his chocolate eyes gazed apologetically and the white haired boy began to reason with the woman. Totally absorbed with the idea of murdering innocent things; even if the things were only trees; Bakura snuck off into the thick of the forest...

****

"So you see, he really doesn't want to kill the trees....he's just a little excited for Christmas, that's all," Ryou pleaded; so far he seemed to have the upper hand in the argument; but the already pale boy became as white as the snow around him when he saw that the axe was missing from in front of the stand.

"You know what? I think we'll just get a fake tree this year. Sorry to bother you. Bye!" Ryou yelped.

The boy then dashed into the thicket after his yami.

__

'I swear, I should get you a leash...'

*****

  
"She said not the ones with the yellow tags," Bakura muttered; his ashen eyes scanned through the many trees that surrounded him; much to his annoyance though...

"They all have yellow tags!!" he spat.

Bakura grumbled and tossed the axe to the ground, causing the fluffy snow to fly into the air and slowly drift through the air; but before it could reach the ground, Bakura had stormed off.

*****

Ryou ran frantically through the pine trees, sharp needles would bury themselves into his silky hair and snow was piling into his shoes; this was not what he expected to do when he went out to get a Christmas tree.

"I should be decorating, not searching for my yami, who wants to murder the trees! Oh dear..."

*****

A loud murmur filled the streets of Domino; people were all rushing to get their last minute shopping finished; it was hectic to say the least. Bakura was among the crowd, the tomb robber sulked through the crowds; he was still upset that he didn't get the chance to kill anything; he stopped, though, when he spotted a sign hung in a store window, it was bright red in color and something peculiar was written across it.

'Come on in! We have the perfect Christmas Gifts!'

"Christmas...gift?" Bakura questioned; peering at the happy-go-lucky sign.

A young girl who happen to be staring at the same sign, giggled; he rosy cheeks beamed as she turned toward Bakura.

"Don't you know what a Christmas present it?" she questioned.

"No," Bakura said truthfully.

"It's a present you get for your friends and family for Christmas to show that you care about them," the girl giggled.

"I see..."

*****

Ryou ran through the busy city streets, his chocolate eyes becoming jaded; all this worrying probably wasn't the best for him. He dashed across the street; when he reached the other side, he bumped into a small girl.

"I'm terribly sorry," Ryou said.

"Hey, it's you," the girl said happily.

"Me?"

"Don't you remember? We talked at the department store,"

"Oh right, thank you. See you then!"

"See you!"

*****

Bakura wandered aimlessly through the city streets; his ashen eyes peering into the store displays, looking for a suitable gift for his hikari. 

"Well, I suppose I should give him a gift, after all I wouldn't be here without him. I wonder if he would like a dagger?" Bakura mused; he pictured the timid Ryou with a dagger; he chuckled, that image wasn't exactly suiting to his hikari's personality.

"Perhaps not...Ryou is to weak for that sort of thing,"

It had been over three hours since they had left the house that morning, and Bakura was growing hungry. He absentmindedly reached into his pocket and was surprised to find that the chocolate turtles he had purchased the before were still there. Bakura reached into the bag and pulled out a turtle, its creamy chocolate surface gleamed deliciously back at him; but what Bakura was really interested in, was the inside.

After gazing at his prey for a few more seconds, he popped the ill-fated chocolate into his mouth. The smooth chocolate melted in his mouth, filling his senses with a sugary sensation. After the initial flavor had past, Bakura cringed and spat the chocolaty mess from his mouth.

"There's no turtle in here!" he barked.

He then glared at the rest of the chocolates as if to warn them to have a turtle-filled center. 

"Your misleading title upsets me, turtles,"

Bakura sighed and shoved the bag into his pocket; arguing with a bag of chocolates had now became his all time low.

*****

"Where is he?!" Ryou cried.

He had searched all over the big department stores and still no sign of his yami.

"I give up. If he wants to go around killing innocent trees, then I'm not going to stop him," Ryou muttered. 

Chocolate eyes widened and Ryou clasped his hand to his mouth. 

  
"What am I saying?"

Quick crunching of snow was heard as Ryou dashed forward; and the lighter half of Bakura raced out of sight.

*****

Two girls were merrily chatting behind a counter; the tantalizing smell of chocolate filled the neat store; a ginger haired girl snuck underneath the glass display case and she quickly scooped up a handful of chocolate raisins. She was about to gobble up the candies when a loud ringing was heard at the door; the sudden alert of a customer caused the girl to drop every chocolate she had; she pouted and stared with her jaw hung open at the chocolates scattered on the ground.

"Ten second rule!" she shouted, dropping to the floor and snatching the candy up. She quickly placed it all in her mouth and popped up from behind the counter; a pair of ashy eyes glared disapprovingly at her.

"Cyran Iwa helpa ywoug?" she garbled. 

The light brown haired girl sighed and swiftly introduced her hand to the back of the other girls head; her coffee-brown eyes glittered as she turned to Bakura.

"Can _I _help you?" 

Bakura quickly pulled a glittery green bag from his pocket and shoved it into the girls' faces. A fierce scowl formed on his lips.

"These aren't real turtles, you owe Ryou his money back!" he snapped.

The two girls gazed blankly at Bakura. Was he serious? Dark brown met golden brown as the two girls looked at each other, wondering what to do.

"Of course they aren't turtles, what did you expect?" the golden eyed one spoke.

"They are called turtles, so where is the turtle?"

"There aren't any turtles," the coffee-eyed one laughed.

Bakura sighed angrily; then why are they called turtles? These sellers were sure odd. Bakura remembered what he had heard from them though....

__

~"Thank you very much! Merry Christmas!"~

They must know something about this Christmas. Perhaps they could help...

"Do you know about Christmas gifts?" Bakura suddenly questioned.

*****

"What did I do to deserve this? I'm a good person; why did I have to be stuck with a deranged tree murderer?"

Ryou collapsed onto a bench, its cold surface sent chills down his spine. White puffs of mist drifted above his head as he panted, out of breath from all the running he had done.

"Maybe he went home? Highly unlikely, but I'm sure he'll show up sometime or another; he'll have to get hungry sometime. Perhaps this is a good time to get some things done..."

*****

"A Christmas gift?" the coffee-eyed girl inquired.

"Yes, for Ryou," Bakura replied.

"What did you have in mind?"

"I don't know, that's the problem,"

"Oh, I see..."

While Bakura talked with the coffee-eyed girl, the other shop owner was busy talking on the phone; as the call progressed, her face became more and more troubled. Finally she clicked off the phone and leaned up against the wall, obviously distressed.

Bakura searched around the shop as the girl in front of him kept naming off useless gift ideas; Bakura didn't know what half of the things she said were, anyway. He stopped when his eyes came across some things that were quite interesting; there stood chocolate figurines of popular Duel Monsters; there was a Blue Eyes, a Dark Magician, and the thing that had caught Bakura's eye; a Change of Heart figurine; half of it was made of white chocolate and the other half of dark, it was beautifully crafted and highly detailed.

"What about that?" he suggested, pointing to the chocolate.

"How about some CD's, or movies, or some fruit...huh? That?" the girl at the counter spoke.

"Yes, would that be a suitable gift?"

"Oh yes! Chocolate is the best gift!" the coffee-eyed girl laughed.

"Amen to that," the golden eyed girl chuckled and walked over to Bakura. "That is kind of expensive, though; handmade."

"I don't have any money," Bakura said flatly.

"Oh," the coffee-eyed girl pouted. "But it'd be so perfect!"

"Well perhaps there is a way we could work this out..."

*****  
  
The sun was beginning to set and Bakura was still out among the city; the white haired yami walked up to a door of a house and knocked briskly on its surface, each loud rap heard clearly against the frozen door. He shifted a white box between his hands; after waiting a minute or so, the door swung open, the ice formed against it made a cracking noise as a woman opened the door. Her light brown hair whipped in the cool wind and her warm blue eyes gazed down at Bakura.

"You must be the delivery boy," she said and took the white box form Bakura. "Thank you so much dear, Merry Christmas!"

Bakura only gave a weak smile; he was forced down to the level of delivery boy just to pay for that chocolate; it was degrading.

"Well, you aren't too talkative now are you?" the woman chuckled. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a stripped candy cane and handed it to Bakura who hesitantly took it. Suddenly a large shaggy dog appeared behind the woman; it leapt through the doorway and tackled Bakura. The dog began licking Bakura ruthlessly; the surprised yami struggled to get onto his feet; the woman pulled the dog from Bakura, who glared daggers at the happy dog.

"Sorry, he just likes to make new friends," she apologized.

'I've got a friend for him,' Bakura thought, his hand placed on his Duel Monsters deck in his pocket.

*****

Now at another door, this one gigantic; Bakura gaped at the enormity of the house. The door slowly opened and a young boy sneaked out; his unruly raven hair and cheerful blue eyes were easily recognized as those of Mokuba Kaiba.

"Hey, Bakura! I didn't know you were a delivery boy?" he giggled.

"Let's not speak of it. Here your chocolates," Bakura grumbled and shoved the box into the young boy's hands.

"Thanks! Oh and don't tell Seto, it's a surprise!" Mokuba snickered. "Ha, Seto can't refuse a gift from me, but I just want to see him hyper after I make him eat every last chocolate!"

Mocking his trademark puppy dog eyes, Mokuba ran into the mansion, waving to Bakura as he shut the door.

*****

The rest of the evening continued on like this; finally the last box of chocolate had been delivered and Bakura trudged into the familiar store, a bell sounding to signal his return. The golden eyed girl grinned as he walked in.

"Great job! We got all our deliveries in today! We couldn't have done it without you!" she praised and then handed him a silvery box that had a golden ribbon draped across the top. 

"Here's your reward; I hope he likes it!"

Bakura took the box and tiredly walked out the door. The yami could finally head home.

"I don't think I'll ever figure out this Christmas thing..."

*****  
  
Ryou was admiring the beautiful decorations on his newly acquired Christmas tree; without Bakura to look after, he was able to get a lot done, including the tree. A soft thud was heard as Bakura walked into the house; he hid the package behind his back and walked into the room where his hikari was.

  
"Where have you been?" Ryou scolded.

"Don't ask," Bakura replied.

After an awkward moment, Bakura shifted his gaze over to the tree in the living room; golden lights sparkled; long strands of silver garland were wrapped beautifully around the tree; it was beautiful. Ryou noticed his yami gaping at the tree and a feeling of pride washed over his body.

"Like it, eh?" he queried. 

Bakura only nodded; his hikari was still a mystery to him. Ryou smiled and walked up next to Bakura; he patted him on the shoulder before walking off and up the stairs.

"Well good night then. It's a big day tomorrow, better get some sleep," Ryou yawned.

Bakura, also tired, followed Ryou up the stairs and retired to his room for the night. He flicked off the lights, the Christmas lights from the next door shined through his window. White hair fluttered as Bakura fell on to his bed; his eyelids began to droop over his catlike eyes and sleep crept over his body.

__

"Christmas is tiring..."

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Mamono: So how was it? Review and let me know!

Seto: What's this with Mokuba buying chocolate behind my back?  
  
Mamono: ^_~ You'll see! Okay next part preview: It's Christmas Eve at Ryou's house! Bakura is introduced to some old traditions and the Red Man makes an appearance!  
  
Bakura: Let's Duel Claus!!!  
  
Mamono: So look forward to it! I should post before Christmas! I hope! Thank you all for reading!


	3. Part 3: Twas the Night Before Christmas...

Mamono: ^.^U So sorry! It's a day late, but I hope it's still good! ^__^U Sorry!  
  
Seto: -_-U You call me Kaiba in this story...

Mamono: Oh don't take it the wrong way, it's just that this is a Ryou centric fic...So I thought that it was proper...

Oni-chan(sister, though sometimes brother...?): Proper! Hahahahahah!!!  
  
Mamono: -_-U She's back...

Seto: I thought you got rid of her?  
  
Mamono: Ugh, this is Oni-chan, if you've read Experiment Chibi, then you've seen her...

Seto: Poor you...

Oni-Chan: Call me the Lord of Ye Sporks!*does a dance*

Mamono: Seto, deal with her while I do the review responses, kay?  
  
Seto: ^_~ Got ya...*grabs a rope*

Review Response

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Flower Petals: ^__^ Hey! I'm glad you liked the last chapter! This one should be a pretty good ending! Sorry it was a little late! One last breath of Christmas spirit!

Seto: Let's go!*ties up Oni-chan*  
  
Oni: No! How dare you tie up the Lord of Sporks!

****

CherryRedHead:*dances * Yay! You liked it! Oh wow I feel honored to make you "go all girly and excited about Christmas!!" Coolness! I hope this chapter is good too! It's my first shot at writing a Christmas fic, and writing about Ryou and Bakura, and my first time writing a duel out! So I'm happy!

Seto:*dialing the mental institute* Yeah...She got out....ten minutes? All right...

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Im Evil: ^__^ Thanks for the review! I had fun giving Seto sweets this chapter! I hope this one is good! Oh and in the next chapter of In the Sands of Egypt, I'll have plenty to say about your review! ^_~

Oni: La dee da! Sporks are weapons of evil! EVIL I SAY!

*white cars pull in*

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Yami Sakuno: ^__^ Ha, I hope Seto's sugar high is funny, I mean, it's not that funny, it's more interesting...Thanks for reviewing!

Seto:*talking w/men in white suits* Yes, maximum security this time....

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Angel of Change: Thanks so much for the review! Awesome pename! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Oni:*being put in a straight jacket* Ha, vermin! You give me new attire! Unlike some people...*points to Seto*

Seto:-_-U

Oni: ..You know how to treat the Lord of Sporks!

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Aura Black Chan: ^_~ I can't let Bakura send anyone to the Shadow realm, but he does try! ^__^ I hope you enjoy this last chapter too! *pats Denny* Cutie!  
  
**Dark Shadow Flame**:*head is swelling* Oh you don't need bow to me!*DSF Stops* Hey I didn't say stop!(Kidding! ^_~) ^__^ Yep you get to see Seto on his sugar high! ^_~

Also, I'm glad you're enjoying this one! I know I did! Sadly this is the last chapter!

Seto:*waves as they take Oni off* Bye....

Oni: I'm off to the land of Sporks! MWUAHAAHAHAH!

Zorra Lombardi: Yes, Christmas was so tiring, that I had to wait till today to update! Ha, the red man is in this chapter, but I think it's going to surprise you! More Tree lights! Yay! Thanks so much for the review!

Seto: She's gone!  
  
Mamono: ^__^ Yay! Okay on with the chapter! Read and Review!

**__**

~Silver and Gold~

Part 3: Twas the Night Before Christmas, and All Through the House; Two Creatures Where Dueling, in Poor Ryou's House?!

Christmas Eve; such a wonderful day; everything was all warm and toasty; everyone was all nestled cozy in their homes; a truly joyous time. Ryou walked into his living room, golden chestnuts rustled in a silver bowl that he was carrying. A cheerful fire burned in the fireplace; its golden flames reflected in the ashen eyes of Bakura. The tomb robber laid lazily in a plush velvet couch and the pleasant sound of Christmas Carols played quietly. Bakura let out a comfortable yawn and rubbed his eyes sleepily. He watched as his hikari trotted merrily past him and the bowl of chestnuts onto the coffee table in front of him.

"Ryou, what are you doing?" he asked.

"Roasting chestnuts in an open fire," he playfully sang. "Haven't you heard the song?"

"No,"

"Oh..."

Ryou chuckled and placed a couple of chestnuts in what seemed to be something to the effect of a cauldron. Bakura shrugged; whatever his hikari was doing; it looked unexciting. Bakura just yawned, smacking his tongue against the roof of his mouth; and buried his head into the warmth of the feathery couch pillow.

"Do as you wish," he mumbled.

Ryou smiled and watched as the fire heated the chestnuts; the gentle crackling warmed the white haired boy, he could feel the sensation of sleep nipping at his heels.

"I can't fall asleep yet. Yami, I'm going to go for a quick walk," Ryou announced and walked out of the room.

"Hmm," Bakura acknowledged, half asleep.

The fire continued to crackle methodically; a gentle light glowed across Bakura's face. It was peaceful, not like his past life. He would've given anything to have a tranquil night like this. Bakura shifted and turned towards the fire; the crackling from those chestnuts was becoming louder.

"Ryou, I think they're cooked," Bakura shouted, but Ryou didn't answer.

A loud pop came from the fire that startled Bakura. He sat up and peered into the fire...

A bad idea...

A thunderous crack sounded from the fire and a tiny shell shot towards Bakura. Unable to react in time, the burning projectile hit Bakura in the face, scorching his cheek. Bakura hissed as the smoldering piece fell from his face. He glared daggers at the fire and he growled fiercely. In response, another burning shell shot out at Bakura, this time singeing his hair. Then more shells shot out at him, this time in quicker intervals; it was a tiny attack.

"Ryou!" Bakura roared.

Not wanting to be undone by a bunch of nuts, Bakura grabbed a handful of nuts and started hurling them into the fire. However this only added insult to injury because the chestnuts Bakura threw into the fire heated up and began to explode back at him. 

"Curse you!" Bakura snapped, ducking out of the way of several flaming nutshells.

*****

The cool night air felt good against Ryou's skin. He walked slowly down the side walk, taking in the beautiful scenery. Snow cascaded across the lands, it sparkled majestically in the winter moon. Ryou gazed up at the sky; the stars glittered flawlessly in the velvet night.

"Santa's going to have a wonderful flight," Ryou mused. "Oh wait, I still need to get some Christmas cookies..."

After remembering his long time tradition, Ryou dashed off in the direction of downtown Domino.

*****

"You shall rue the day you were born!" Bakura shouted, still battling the chestnuts.

By now, the war was long since started; so many things that had been untouched, now lay shattered on the floor. 

Causalities of war... 

*****  
  
"Oh no!" Ryou sighed. 

He searched around; all the shops were closed! How was he supposed to get some cookies? A white puff of mist fluttered into the air as Ryou sighed disappointedly. He cast his chocolate eyes to the ground and moped down the empty sidewalks, kicking pieces of ice across the road. 

Suddenly he bumped into someone; backing up, Ryou looked up, stunned.

"Kaiba?" he choked.

"What is it?" Kaiba growled in response.

Ryou examined the CEO in front of him. Kaiba's chocolate hair fell in front of his icy blue eyes; he wore a long black trench coat, similar to his yami's; but what Ryou noticed was his unusually energized condition. True, Ryou didn't know that much about Kaiba, but he knew enough that it was odd to see the CEO walking alone at night and jittering so much.

"What are you doing here, Kaiba?" Ryou inquired.

"It's none of your business," Kaiba spat quickly.

"I suppose, but it's really odd for you to be so antsy, is something the matter?"

"No,"

"Then what..."

"What are you doing here?" Kaiba interrupted.

"Oh," Ryou sighed, remembering exactly what he was doing there. "I was trying to find some Christmas cookies, but all the stores are closed..."

"Come with me," Kaiba ordered.

"What?" Ryou asked, dumbfounded.

But before Ryou could get his response, Kaiba briskly walked away. Ryou had to run just to keep up with the guy. The white haired boy quickly followed after the CEO until they reached a large mansion. Kaiba quickly opened up the gate and continued quickly into the house. Ryou trailed behind, not sure if he should follow or not. This was truly an odd situation to be in. Just as Ryou reached the door, Kaiba nearly rammed into him; when he recovered, the brunette shoved two large boxes into Ryou's hands.

"You wanted cookies; here take these," he said flatly. "Take these chocolates too."

"Oh, well thank you," Ryou said, confused.

"I don't want to ever see them again, you understand?" he snapped and then slammed the door in Ryou's face. 

"...Merry Christmas?"

Ryou heard voices through the door, he quietly neared the door and listened carefully.

__

"Seto, what are you doing?"

"Nothing, Mokuba,"

"Oh, okay then. Seto, how did you like the chocolates I gave you?"

*****

"I've won," Bakura sighed. "But it seems my victory is not without loss."

Bakura gazed over at the living room; a total disaster...

Bakura paled as he saw Ryou enter the door. 

"Ryou is there something wrong with your eye?" Bakura said. "It's twitching..."

*****

"Ryou," Bakura said, pointing to a plate of cookies that were placed near the fireplace. "What are those?"

"Cookies, Yami," Ryou answered.

"I can see that. What kind of cookies?" Bakura muttered. "And why are they by the fireplace?"

"For Santa Claus, silly," Ryou chuckled. 

"Ryou, why must you leave cookies out for Santa Claus?"

"Oh I don't know," Ryou stated. "I guess because he likes a snack during his long journey."

Bakura just looked blankly at his hikari. He watched as the white haired boy picked up a bright red cookie; Ryou winked at its creamy frosting surface and placed it with the rest. 

"I don't understand, Ryou. Santa Claus's journey?" Bakura asked in frustration.

Ryou couldn't take it any longer, his chocolate eyes began to tear up as he burst out into laughter. Ryou could hardly breathe, he was giggling to hard. Bakura growled fiercely; it wasn't his fault that he didn't know about Santa Claus and Christmas! He was an Ancient Egyptian tomb robber for crying out loud!

"Well he visits everyone in the world and gives them presents! It takes awhile to do that, with the world being so big; I imagine he likes a snack now and then, and cookies are his favorite," Ryou said, chuckling now and then.

"He never visited me before," Bakura pouted.

__

"Maybe because you were an evil tomb robber, ever think of that?" Ryou muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!"

Ryou let out a huge yawn; it was late, and he was tired. 

"Yami, I think we should get to sleep," he said tiredly. 

"Why is that?"

"If you don't, Santa won't visit," Ryou taunted.

Bakura sighed, this Santa was disrupting everything. At his hikari's wish, he reluctantly trotted up the stairs and into his bedroom. He collapsed down onto his bed and pulled the flannel blanket over his head. The warm cloth quickly soothed the troubled yami and coaxed him into a peaceful sleep.

*****  
  
"I swear, if I ever rule the world; my first act as ruler will be to ban all sugar and the use of puppy dog eyes," Kaiba muttered, rummaging through a dark closet. A loud bell chimed twelve times through the empty hallways, signaling the time as midnight. Even so, Kaiba was awake; unable to tell which coat was his, he grabbed the closest thing and ran out the door.

*****

Bakura tossed and turned in his sleep; his peaceful sleep had turned out to be not so peaceful. Ashen eyes awoke with a start and peered into the dark. A loud rapping was heard coming from downstairs. He silently crept out of his bed and slid downstairs; he soon discovered that

"Tis the wind and nothing more, rapping on the front door," Bakura sighed.

He turned to go back upstairs, but then a few unusual clicks and a few seconds later, a icy blast of wind blew past Bakura, knocking him forward. The angry yami whipped around and glared in the direction of the wind, but was taken aback by what he saw.

"Kaiba? What are you doing here?!" he said, gaping.

Kaiba, who was brushing the snow from his fire-red trench coat, narrowed his eyes in frustration. Great, someone just _had _to be up, didn't they? He searched around for something when the plate of sugar coated cookies caught his eye; he then focused down to the red of his coat and an idea struck him. It was a long shot, but this was a 5000 year old spirit, after all.

"I'm...Santa Claus," he stated.

Bakura was taken aback by this sudden announcement. He carefully examined the person in front of him; he wasn't fat; he didn't have a beard; he didn't come through the chimney; he certainly didn't look jolly; but he did have the red clothes on...According to Ryou, this couldn't be Santa Claus.

"I don't believe you," Bakura snapped. 

"But I am Santa Claus!" Kaiba urged.

"Prove it," Bakura began to cackle. "Duel me, Claus, and if you win, then I'll believe."

"Fine, let's duel!"

*****

An eerie glow emitted from the Millennium Ring and a hazy purple fog filled the area. Kaiba glared daggers at Bakura, but oddly enough, felt eager for a duel. Realizing that there were no duel disks in sight, Bakura used the magic of his ring to conjure up two midnight black stones. They each formed in front of the two duelists and gleamed readily, as if wanting the duel to commence.

"Just place your cards on that for play, understand?" Bakura announced, pointing to the black stone.

  
"Fine, let's go!" Kaiba shouted.

With that the duel began and each player drew their cards. A misty '4000' appeared on each stone, signifying life points. Kaiba looked down at his hand and a large grin spread onto his face. In his hand was the Lord of Dragons, two Flute of Summoning Dragons, a Pot of Greed, and his favorite monster, the Blue Eyes White Dragon.

"I begin by placing the Lord of Dragons on the field in attack mode," he called, and a large monster appeared out of nowhere, it had a dark blue cape and was covered in armor.

"I also play the Pot of Greed, which allows me to draw two more cards," Kaiba added. He then picked up two more cards; another Blue Eyes and a Mask of Brutality; perfect.

"I'll place 2 cards face down and end my turn,"

Bakura looked at his hand; great, nothing that would defeat the Lord of Dragons, and by watching Kaiba, Bakura knew exactly what he was planning...

"I'll play the Magician of Faith in attack mode," he cackled.

"Come on! Is that the best you can do?" Kaiba yelled.

"Silence!" Bakura growled. "I'll end my turn by placing one card face down..."

Kaiba gazed at Bakura's monster; surely he had something to protect his monster, but his hand was too good; he couldn't pass up this chance. He quickly drew a card and placed it in his hand; this card would be perfect; a gold flash reflected in his blue eyes as he placed the card onto the stone.

"First, I'll play this card face down," he stated. "Now, I activate Flute of Summoning Dragons!"

Bakura cringed as a large flute appeared in the Lord of Dragons hands; the monster then began to play a fierce battle cry; a couple flashes of white appeared and two Blue Eyes White Dragons where staring at him, ready to battle.

"Now, I use Mask of Brutality to power up my dragon!"

A large mask appeared on the second Blue Eyes, raising its attack by one thousand. 

"Blue Eyes, attack!" Kaiba declared, pointing over to the Magician of Faith. The dragon's mouth began to glow with a white light, and the dragon launched its attack.

"Ha! You fell right into my trap! Activate Magical Cannon!" Bakura shouted.

Suddenly a large cannon appeared into the Magician of Faith's hands, and the lighting from the Blue Eye's attack drained inside it. With a wide grin, the Magician of Faith aimed her cannon right at the Lord of Dragons and fired her attack. The fierce blast annailated Kaiba's monster and dropped his life points to '1200'.

Instead of cringing, Kaiba smirked. As he began his turn, his life points fell to '200' because of Mask of Brutality. 

"No, you fell into _my _trap, Bakura," he laughed.

Gold lettering appeared as Kaiba's face down card appeared. It was called 'Last Turn', something that Bakura did not want to see.

"I activate Last Turn!" he heralded. Then a large snake appeared and wrapped around Kaiba's first Blue Eyes; it then wrapped around all of Bakura's monsters; with one quick blow, all monsters, except for Kaiba's powered up Blue Eyes disappeared.

"What's this?" Bakura growled. 

"Last Turn," Kaiba answered. "Is a trap card; it allows me to select one monster on my field; then it summons your most powerful monster; the two then battle; and the winner of that battle wins the duel!"

Bakura nearly choked in surprise, and Dark Necrofear appeared on the field; but it didn't even compare to Kaiba's Blue Eyes. The occult monster charged towards the white dragon, but was blown away by one powerful blast. Bakura bowed his head in acknowledgement as his life points dropped to zero.

Bakura sighed heavily; he had lost. The purple smog began to dissipate and the glowing lights on the Christmas tree became visible once again. He stood up and turned to Kaiba now known as Santa Claus.

"I guess you are Santa, then," he grumbled. "Go about your business, I won't stop you."

"Business?" Kaiba asked.

  
"Yes, Ryou said you'd leave gifts," Bakura recalled.

Kaiba grumbled; his sugar rush was reaching its climax; much to his annoyance he craved more, and the cookies he had given Ryou were the only source of sugar he could think of. So the furious Santa rummaged through his pockets, walked over to the Christmas tree, and left two large wads of money underneath it. He grumbled and then headed for the cookies, but the sweet morsels were nowhere to be found. He heard an evil chuckle from behind him and whipped around to see Bakura holding his prize.

"Give me those cookies," Kaiba growled.

"No, I don't think I will," Bakura taunted and set the cookies down behind him.

Kaiba's eyes became frigid; even if it was only some stupid cookies they were fighting after; no one said 'no' to him. With lighting speed, he grasped Bakura's collar and lifted him off the ground. Being a great deal taller than Bakura, the yami's feet dangled feet above the plush carpet.

"I repeat; hand over the cookies," Kaiba snapped. "Unless you want me to beat you with the coal that you deserve."

"Fine," Bakura spat. "Take the blasted cookies."

With that, Kaiba set Bakura down and walked coolly over to the cookies. He picked up a snowflake shaped cookie and placed it in his mouth with half of the sugary cookie hanging out. The door swung open and with an icy chill, Santa Claus had left...

Bakura gulped; his first encounter with Santa Claus one he would always remember. As he tiredly walked towards the stairs chocolate eyes were already there to greet him.

"Yami, what's going on?"

*****

A loud sound echoed through the Kaiba Mansion and Kaiba stormed in, the plate of cookies already half eaten. He walked into the kitchen and sat down at the luxurious wooden table; soft steps were heard and Mokuba Kaiba appeared beside his brother.

"Seto, where were you?" he questioned.

Kaiba smiled down at his brother; he took a shiny red cookie and handed it to his brother. Mokuba smiled and started nibbling on the cookie.

"Never mind, Mokuba. Merry Christmas,"

*****

"Ryou, Santa Claus," Bakura muttered.

Ryou stared confusingly at his yami. It was the middle of the night and he was out and about.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I saw him,"

"Really?"

"Yes,"

"What was he like,"

"He was mean,"

"What?!"

"Ryou, you lied to me, you said Santa Claus was jolly; he was not,"

"Oh..."

"It's all right, you can be wrong,"  
  
"Thanks..."

"He took the cookies,"

"Oh, well that's good...I think,"  
  
"He did leave presents, though,"  
  
"Oh!" Ryou chuckled. "Well, how about we go open them?"  
  
"I suppose..."

Ryou smiled and headed towards the Christmas tree. Bakura sighed and followed after his hikari; he sat down next to his hikari; he reached for a silvery package and handed it to Ryou. The lighter boy looked surprised at first, but grinned merrily.

__

"Merry Christmas, Ryou," 

"Merry Christmas..."

************

  
Mamono: ^__^ That's it!  
  
Seto: ...

Mamono: Good, eh?  
  
Seto: ...

Mamono: ?

Seto: ...

Mamono: O.o Oh well...I guess he's speechless...I hope you all liked it! Review! Merry Christmas!(Belated as it may be...)


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